Hair loss is a common problem that affects men and women of all ages throughout the world. One large-scale study in Maryborough, Victoria, Australia, showed the prevalence of mid-frontal hair loss increases with age and affects 73.5% of men and 57% of women aged 80 and over (Gan et al. (2005) “Prevalence of male and female pattern hair loss in Maryborough.” J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 10:184-189). According to Medem Medical Library's website, male pattern hair loss or baldness (MPB) affects about 40 million men in the United States. Approximately 25% of men begin balding by age 30; two-thirds begin balding by age 60.
Hair growth typically follows a continuously repeating cycle related to rest, shedding, and regrowth. However, a variety of factors, including hormonal changes, poor nutrition, illness, medications, and stress, can disrupt this cycle and lead to excessive hair loss, thinning hair, or baldness. For example, the hormone dihydrotestosterone or DHT is widely accepted to be the main cause of male pattern baldness. Thyroid disease, diabetes, and lupus frequently cause general hair loss. Stress can aggravate alopecia areata, which is characterized by the sudden loss of hair in round or oval patches about the size of a quarter. A second form stress-induced hair loss is telogen effluvium (TE), which occurs when a sudden or severe stress causes an acute increase in the shedding of hair.
Currently available hair loss treatments have been shown to be moderately successful in renewing hair growth. However, medications for the treatment of hair loss, such as minoxidil, procaine, and finasteride, can comprise pharmaceutical agents that cause undesirable side effects, including irritation, severe allergic reactions, and an increased risk of prostate cancer in men. Finasteride also poses significant danger to women of childbearing age and should not be handled by pregnant women. Moreover, surgical procedures can be expensive, painful, and can carry the risk of complications, such as infection, scarring, or unnatural appearance of the direction of hair growth.
What is needed is a safe, effective, natural treatment that can be administered topically to prevent and/or reverse hair loss or induce new hair growth.
All references cited herein, including patent applications and publications, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.